


how this world keeps spinning

by amory



Series: Take Me Back to Where We Started [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Actor Louis, Childhood Friends, Childhood Sweethearts, Coming Out, Established Relationship, Famous Louis, Harry is just trying to make it through the day, Louis is James Bond, M/M, Niall is there and still a genius, Non-Famous Harry, Ordinary Harry, Teacher Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 11:15:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13762968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amory/pseuds/amory
Summary: Louis has a premiere, Harry tags along.





	how this world keeps spinning

“Harry,” Niall says.

Harry hums, not looking up from the paper he’s reading. He’s forced his best friend to sit in the armchair across the room while he spreads out all of his student’s papers across Niall’s gargantuan desk.

“Harry, aren’t you going to a James Bond premiere tonight?” Niall asks.

“Not if I don’t finish grading these papers,” Harry replies, tapping his favorite red pen against his lip as he reads.

“Harold,” Niall says, because he’s being quite serious now. Louis has gotten him into that habit, calling Harry _Harold_ when they’re upset with him. Harry hates that he ever let the two of them get close enough to conspire. “You need to get going, you’re going to be late.”

Harry shakes his head. “I’m not stalling,” he lies.

He is stalling. In fact, he’s been stalling for hours now, as well as ignoring Louis’ calls and texts on top of that.

“Louis thinks you’re dead or something,” Niall says, looking down at his phone. “He’s texting me now. He’s coming here.”

Harry looks up and frowns. “Coming here?” he asks, sure that Niall’s lying. It’s hardly eight in the morning, Louis only got home an hour ago, there’s no way.

“Right now,” Niall replies.

And seconds later there’s a short knock at the door and Harry swears he could positively kill Niall.

“I’m going to kill you,” he says.

Niall just smiles and calls, “Come in!”

Louis opens the door, and Harry’s heart leaps. It’s been a week since they’ve seen each other, Harry almost forgot how badly he missed him. However, he keeps a pout on his face for the sake of showing Niall how upset he is.

“Harry,” Louis breathes. “Jesus, there you are.”

Harry stops pouting when Louis rounds the table and kisses him. For a moment, the stress of work and school melts away and he can do nothing but sigh against Louis’ lips and fall into his arms.

“I was worried,” Louis teases, though Harry can hear the truth in his voice. “I thought you’d run off on me.”

“Maybe I have,” Harry replies, smiling slightly when Louis presses a kiss to his temple. “Maybe I’m trying to hide from everything right now and one truly awful _ex_ -best friend has outed me.”

Niall rolls his eyes, tossing his legs up on the arm of his chair and just about knocking a half empty cup of tea off the desk. “Grades aren’t due for a week,” he says. “You smell bad and you need to get out of my office before a janitor finds out you’ve been sleeping here and kicks you out.”

Louis’ eyes go wide and he clamps one hand down on Harry’s shoulder, running a thumb over his skin under the jumper he’s wearing. “You’ve been sleeping here?” he asks.

“You’re not allowed to leave ever again,” Niall tells him instead of letting Harry speak for himself. “He’s an absolute wreck without someone watching him this time of year, we never should’ve let him move out.”

Louis frowns at Harry, tilting his chin up with one finger so they’re looking into each other’s eyes. He gently presses his thumbs to the bruises Harry is sure are under his eyes. Louis sighs and kisses his forehead.

“Is this why you haven’t answered all night?” he asks.

Harry doesn’t reply, because they all know the answer to that.

“Baby,” Louis murmurs. “You’re working too hard, you’re going to kill yourself. You deserve a rest, just for one weekend.”

Harry shakes his head. “I promised my editor she’d have my new manuscript to read by Tuesday, and I know she’s going to rip it to pieces. And my student’s need their grades back, I’m not going to be that asshole that turns them in late. I just wanted to get as much done as I could before we left.”

“That doesn’t mean you pull all nighters in Niall’s office alone, baby.”

And yes, maybe Louis is right, but Harry can’t help but feel he’s a bit justified as well. He did get a lot done last night, though he is terribly tired, terribly hungry, and still behind where he wants to be.

“You need sleep,” Louis decides. “Come on darling, up you get.”

Harry whines but doesn’t pull away when Louis takes his hand and hauls him up. He does turn, though, and make a face at Niall.

“You’re an awful traitor,” he says. “See if I ever speak to you again after this.”

Niall just grins. “Have fun lovebirds,” he sings. “Good luck!”

Louis laughs and wraps his arm around Harry’s shoulder on their way out of the office. Not that anyone is around to notice, but Louis is dangerously close for a man who hasn’t come out yet.

For a man coming out tonight.

“You’re going to be too warm out there,” Louis mutters almost absentmindedly, fussing with the jumper Harry’s wearing. “I thought the flat looked strange when I came back. Like you hadn’t been there.”

Harry looks down at his feet. “Sorry,” he mutters. It must’ve been terrifying, he thinks, for Louis to come home to an empty flat after a week away. To find their bed made, the flat cold, dishes still left to dry, Harry gone.

Louis sighs. “Baby, I just worry about you, you know that. You’re working too hard, taking on too much. You’re bound to break.”

Harry shakes his head. “I’ll be okay,” he promises. “It’s almost done, you heard Niall. I just-I wanted it done by tonight so I haven’t been sleeping much the past couple days, not at all last night. So Niall wasn’t right, I wasn’t actually _sleeping_ there.”

Louis snorts and presses a kiss to Harry’s cheek. “You’re insane,” he murmurs. “Why do I love you so much?”

“Because I’m insane,” Harry reasons.

Louis laughs and spins them so they’re facing one another. They’re in the school’s quad, surrounded by buildings and windows, but no one’s there. If they were, they would watch as Louis pull Harry’s in by the waist and kisses him. Watch as he quickly crumples, forehead pressed to Harry’s shoulder.

“I’m scared,” he whispers.

“Lou,” Harry whispers back. “I’m going to be right there with you the entire time, I promise. Okay? Right there, holding your hand.”

Louis laughs a bit at that. “Feel like a little kid, needing you to hold my hand.”

“I love you,” Harry says. “And it’s going to be great, you’ll see. Everyone’s going to hate me.”

Louis laughs louder now, finally pulling his head up. “That’s a good thing?” he asks.

“Yes,” Harry laughs back. “They’ll hate me because they’ll be so jealous of me. After all, I’m the one who gets to go home to _the_ Louis Tomlinson every night.”

There’s been speculation for ages now about who Louis is with. After he and Harry moved back in together, he pretty much dropped off the map save for press functions and interviews for the Bond film that finally premieres tonight. It’s going to be insane soon, Harry knows, and he tries to cherish these moments as much as he can.

Louis intertwines their fingers and squeezes. “Come on darling, let’s go home.”

Harry doesn’t know how most celebrities spend the day of the biggest movie premiere of their life, but he’s sure it isn’t like this. The two return home and take a shower together, Louis rubbing the knots out of Harry’s back and neck and placing open mouthed kisses on his naked skin. After, Louis forces Harry to take a nap he desperately needs. He fights it a bit, but eventually gives in, pressing his face to Louis’ neck and closing his heavy eyelids.

When he wakes up, he finds Louis absentmindedly playing with his curls and texting someone. Harry squints just enough to be able to see it’s his driver.

“Is he on his way?” Harry croaks out.

Louis nods and puts his phone down. He rolls over just a bit and kisses Harry, morning breath be damned. “Should be here soon, love. He’s just taking us to the hotel, we’ll get ready there.”

“Mm,” Harry sighs, closing his eyes again. “Can’t wait to see you in your suit.”

Louis laughs. “Have you seen yourself, darling? You’re the real star, not me.”

Harry smiles and moves his face, pressing his cold nose to Louis’ skin and making him yelp. Harry giggles and nuzzles closer, sighing against Louis’ neck, stirring the curls falling over his face.

“Thanks, by the way,” he whispers. “For making me nap. You’re always taking care of me.”

“Of course I am,” Louis replies. “I always will, love, but you need to start looking after yourself a bit better. You can’t be staying up for days on end, staring at a computer screen, not eating just because I’m not around.”

Harry shrugs. “You shouldn’t leave then,” he says, which is not really an answer at all.

“I shouldn’t,” Louis sighs, running a finger over Harry’s cheekbone. “I should stay here with you forever, never leave this bed.”

Harry opens his eyes and smirks when he finds Louis moving to lean over him. “You have great ideas sometimes, y’know?”

Louis laughs and kisses Harry gently before whispering, “Come on babe, let’s eat before we go.”

Reluctantly, Harry lets Louis pull him out of his bed and to his feet. He follows Louis to the kitchen and promptly sits on the counter, watching his boyfriend search their cabinets desperately for something to eat.

“Jesus, Haz,” he says, standing in front of their empty fridge. “There’s no food here, love.”

“Been eating out,” Harry replies. “There should be a frozen pizza, though.”

Louis laughs and shoots Harry a look over his shoulder. “Gourmet,” he teases.

“Only the best for you, superstar,” Harry shoots right back.

While Louis goes about putting their pizza in the oven, Harry snaps a picture of him from behind. It’s vague enough that no one would know who Louis is, not unless they knew him like Harry does. Not that anyone even knows who Harry is, or what he is to Louis.

Not yet, anyway.

 _Chef for the day xx_ he captions it, making sure the box from the pizza is visible. It takes all of thirty seconds for his mum to comment, saying something about having the two of them over for a proper meal soon.

“Mum wants us over,” Harry says, not looking up from his phone. “When are we free?”

He doesn’t look up until he hears Louis laughing. Louis walks over, still chuckling, and lays a hand over Harry’s on the counter.

“What are you laughing about?” Harry asks.

“Nothing,” Louis says, playing with Harry’s fingers but never once breaking eye contact. “Just that you make us sound like an old married couple, that’s all. _When are we free_.”

Harry pouts and snatches his hand away, feigning offense quite badly. “Don’t tease me, I’m sensitive.”

Louis’ smile just widens and he leans in to kiss Harry’s pout away. “We’re free next weekend,” he says. “That is, if you’re not cooped up in Niall’s office, smelling awful.”

Harry rolls his eyes and goes back to texting his mum. By the time he’s finished ironing out the exact time for them to come over, Louis is tugging him off the counter in favor of the table, coaxing him to eat. Harry does, listening to Louis tell him about his short trip to LA and soaking up all that he missed.

“Did you miss me?” Harry asks with a smile once Louis is through recounting how awful it is trying to find decent tea there.

Louis smiles back, a bit of pizza sauce on his lip, and replies, “Always.”

As much as neither of them like to talk about the time they spent apart for so long, they both know how much it hurts when Louis goes away. It hurts waking up every day only for Harry to find no one beside him but an empty bed. It hurts coming back to an empty flat, that soul crushing feeling that hits before he remembers Louis hasn’t left for good. Louis is coming back, he always does, just as he promised.

So instead, Harry stays in Niall’s office, or in his old room in Niall’s flat that Niall’s yet to find a new tenant for. He says it’s because he can’t bear to replace Harry, but Harry knows it’s more likely that he doesn’t need a flatmate to make rent, because he hasn’t needed that in years. But Harry had needed him, and so Niall was there.

“What are you thinking about, darling?” Louis asks.

Harry hums and shakes his head. “Nothing,” he lies. “I’m just really glad you’re home, that’s all.”

Louis’ eyes go soft in that way they do when they both know that the other is dwelling on the past. They’re working through it still, everyday they’re working through it, but they both realize how different this is. They’re no longer two kids just trying to make it through the week, they’re adults in a committed relationship where they have to do things like talk about their feelings and communicate their wants and needs.

It’s good, though. Harry never thought he’d be this happy again.

Louis reaches across the table and takes Harry’s hand, intertwining their fingers and squeezing. “I’m happy to be home, love,” he whispers back, pulling Harry’s hand to his mouth and gently kissing his fingers.

The arrival of Louis’ driver automatically ruins the mood. They leave in a flurry of dirty dishes and half packed suitcases, Harry panicking about not bringing enough even though they’ll be back in two days.

Soon, though, he finds himself pulled into the backseat of a black SUV. Louis wraps an arm around his shoulder and lets him lay there. Harry rests his head on Louis’ shoulder and listens to Louis and the driver talk about nothing. He closes his eyes, promising he’ll open them again in just a moment, and slowly loses himself in the feeling of Louis’ fingers carding through his hair.

 

* * *

 

It’s hardly a two hour drive to London, but Harry manages to sleep the entire time. Louis holds him the entire way, praying that he’s able to stay asleep despite the car jostling around. The bags under Harry’s are concerning enough that Louis wants to skip this entire premiere and stay in their hotel to let him sleep.

Not that that’s the only reason he wants to skip, but it’s certainly the most selfless.

They pull up to their hotel right on time according to the schedule Louis had been emailed this morning. Louis wakes Harry up as gently as he can, kissing his forehead and running his fingers over the boy’s neck. Harry finally grumbles a little too loudly and opens his eyes.

He looks confused for a moment, nose scrunching up, lips pouted. Louis swears he falls more in love with Harry every moment.

“Jesus,” Harry mumbles. “Are we here already?”

Louis laughs. “Come on love, let’s get upstairs.”

Louis takes both his and Harry’s bags, ignoring Harry’s claim that he’s perfectly able to carry his own bag. The woman at the front desk smiles at them, telling Louis that she’s a big fan of his, having absolutely no clue that the sleepy boy at his side is his boyfriend.

He really shouldn’t, but Louis wonders if her opinion will change after tonight.

“Louis,” Harry says to him once they’re safely in the lift and away from prying eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Louis shakes his head. “Nothing,” he lies.

Harry hums and reaches across the lift to take Louis’ hand. They say nothing else, but Louis knows that Harry understands.

The two of them get a whole ten minutes of peace before absolute chaos sets in. Louis’ stylist shows up with their suits freshly pressed and an entourage of people in tow. Louis and Harry soon find themselves both sat at opposite ends of the massive room, making faces at one another while they’re dabbed with makeup to fight off the cameras that’ll surely be pointed be pointed their way tonight.

Louis watches as Harry changes first, apparently needing less makeup than Louis does. He’s frowning at his reflection in the floor length mirror by the bathroom, tugging at the lapels of his blue floral suit, looking like a goddamn dream.

The minute everyone leaves, Louis calls out, “Harry.”

Harry’s eyes flicker up and he smiles when he sees Louis. “Babe, you look amazing. Proper 007.”

Louis laughs and shakes his head. “Come here, yeah?”

Harry grins and crosses the room to Louis, tilting his chin down just enough so that their height difference is barely there. Sometimes, Louis misses when Harry was smaller than him, when he could wrap the younger boy up in his arms and protect him from the world.

Most of the time, though, Louis loves reaching up and tugging Harry down just enough to press their lips together.

“You,” he murmurs. “Are stunning. I love you so much.”

Harry giggles, tucking his hand underneath Louis’ suit jacket. “I love you too.”

“Thank you,” Louis says. “I mean it, H. You don’t have to do this-”

“Yes I do,” Harry replies, eyebrows furrowing. “You’re everything to me, Louis. You don’t have to do this alone. I’m always going to be here for you, no matter what happens.”

Louis hesitates for a moment, and he can almost feel all of those old insecurities rushing back. But he quickly stamps them out and nods. “Okay,” he whispers. “Thank you.”

Harry just smiles and kisses him again, fingers digging into Louis’ back. “Don’t thank me,” he whispers. “Okay? Everything we’re doing is for us. For our future together, for your future. For you to be happy, because nothing makes me happier than you.”

“Our future,” Louis repeats, smiling again finally. “Well, I do like the sound of that.”

Harry grins and finally moves his hand, smoothing Louis’ jacket down again. “If you _really_ want to bail out,” he says. “I’ll still be here. But I know you, Lou. I know how long you’ve wanted this, and how hard you’ve worked to get here.”

“You’re right,” Louis agrees with a short nod. “I just-I don’t want anyone to hate me. They’re going to hate me, H-”

“Louis,” Harry says, tone deadly serious. “They are not going to hate you, and even if they do, fuck them. No one but you has any say over what makes you happy, over how you live your life. You are just being who you’ve always been, there is nothing wrong with that. And I’m going to be there the entire time, holding your hand. I won’t let go, Lou, ever.”

Louis takes a few deep breaths. Someone knocks on the door, his assistant no doubt waiting to herd them to the car.

Harry is right, he realizes. It’s now or never. He needs to do this, not just for himself. For Harry, for his family, for everyone else out there watching and thinking they aren’t good enough. For himself at sixteen, desperately in love with his roommate and terrified.

“Okay,” Louis says. “I’m ready.”

The ride to the premiere is a blur. Just as he promised, Harry grabs his hand once they’re in the back of the car and doesn’t let go. The windows are tinted, but Louis can hear the crowd getting louder as they get closer. His heart is beating faster and faster, and before he knows it they’ve stopped.

Louis looks back at Harry one last time, his heart swelling when he sees his boyfriend’s smiling face.

“I love you,” Harry says.

For some reason, it seems so ridiculous. There’s a crowd of people outside, screaming his name, and yet all Louis really cares about is Harry’s smile.

Louis squeezes his hand. “To the moon and back?”

Harry laughs and leans across the seat to kiss him. “To the moon and back,” he promises.

And then the door opens, the screams swell, and Louis steps out with Harry right at his side.

Right where they belong. 

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise!! I'm not entirely sure where this came from, but for some reason this verse was begging to be brought back sooo here we are. I'm sorry if it's a bit short, but I hope you enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it :)
> 
> Thank you for reading xx
> 
>  
> 
> [tumblr](http://amories.tumblr.com)


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